THE Group for Authors! discussion

I was informed that Goodreads has a policy AGAINST allowing an author to list the editor-in-chief for a novel in the book info. Here's the policy: https://www.goodreads.com/help/show/2...

Given the number of published books in need of editing, I would like to suggest that this policy be changed to allow editors to be listed on (and associated with) novels. (Those of us who have great editors want to give them some credit, and as I reader, I would like to know that a book has an editor willing to put his or her name on it!)

Perhaps another field can be added to the book header so that an editor may be linked with the book, if desired?

Thanks for listening!

There should be an editor category, but does any other platform have it? I know Amazon does not. I do not think it is common place to add an editor as an "author" since they did not write it. There should be an "editor" category, I agree with you.

As an author, I completely agree, if for no other reason than letting readers know the author thought enough of them to have a another set of professional eyes on the MS before it was released to the world.

The problem is, how do we define who is a ligitimate, professional editor, and who isn't. Bob, who lives down the street and once wrote a great high school research paper isn't an editor. Neither is my friend who teaches fifth grade or perhaps even HS English.

I have great editors, but there's not a certification program in place to verify their expertise. I know they are wonderful, but how do they tell the general public that? Just being able to list an editor would help differentiate those of us who take our writing seriously from those willing to put out junk. I would certainly support this proposal.

Steven wrote: "The problem is, how do we define who is a ligitimate, professional editor, and who isn't."

One could ask how do we define who is a legitimate, professional author. A professional is typically defined as one who gets paid for the work they do.

I'm listed as the editor on several books on Amazon, so it appears to not be an issue there. I see that I've been removed as the editor for books on GR, and that makes sense in light of the linked policy.

Goodreads might argue that they don't have spaces for all of the other people involved in producing a book and thus don't want to make an exception for developmental editors, and want to avoid confusion. Usually the only time the editor is listed on a cover is for a collection or anthology.

I'd suggest giving your editor credit in your Acknowledgments, if they don't mind being named.

I do that. I want every reader to know that my books have not seen just one editor, but have been subjected to three layers of professional editing by separate professional editors (content, copy, proofread). I think every author should be willing to invest his own dollars in his work before he ever asks his readers to invest their time and money in it. If more did so, there would be a far smaller problem with books with appealing covers but unedited or poorly edited content being foisted on the public.

D.L. wrote: "I was informed that Goodreads has a policy AGAINST allowing an author to list the editor-in-chief for a novel in the book info. Here's the policy: https://www.goodreads.com/help/show/2...-..."

Editors (including editor-in-chief, copyeditors, proofreaders...) are just not given author roles.

I believe that like cover artists your novel editor can be credited in the book description--just not given author roles--(discrete, briefly;--"cover art by" and "edited by" are allowed but making an advertisement / links / resume / etc. for them are not allowed just because book description field is intended to be a synopsis rather than blurbs, praises, ads, awards, quoted reviews, purchase links, acknowledgments, promotions, sales, "free" or other pricing, blog tours, etc.). (I could be wrong; haven't checked lately so they may have changed that policy on discreetly crediting editors and cover artists somewhere in these threads but they used to allow.)

Authors can also credit their editor in their own review of the book as part of an author's note or an actual review (whatever they choose to make of the review space, with or without star rating)--that stays with the book. Authors can credit editor in their blog posts and status updates--that only stays with the author page. And can acknowledge in opening pages of book so that it shows in the free-preview/excerpt areas.

Anything in the review space (even a review by author) not violating goodreads TOS was allowed prior 2013 and it's still pretty "open" as to what can go in a review even post-2013. Even links to the editor's information outside of goodreads are allowed in the review space.

Editors of anthologies are given an author role because they are often shown on book cover (even when the authors in the collection are absent, making it sometimes the only "author" a librarian knows to use), make a convenient primary author instead of arguing over which contributing author gets that role, and often editors of anthologies are responsible for creating the work even to stitching the words together(often adding editorial comments to do so making their writing/words part of the book itself).

An editor whose advice you ignored, may not be best pleased to be credited ...

(I've even seen one author here steal status updates from well-known authors detailing their editing processes as if their own, claiming edited by same people (same people of course screaming for a retraction), with book samples clearly not edited.)

As a professional courtesy, I think you should ask your editor how/if they want credited. Sometimes the nickname you call them verbally may not be what professional name they want credited in print. Sometimes they may or may not want to be associated with your completed work.